Bygdebøker

Bygdebøker are basically local history books that contain a wealth of genealogy
information. A bygdebok will generally cover a small community, perhaps one or two
parishes. Usually it gives a brief history of the community, and a list of all of the
farms in that community. For each farm, the bygdebok will give a chronological list
of the owners going back many generations. Bygdebøker have been published for several
hundred rural communities in Norway, but not for cities such as Oslo, Bergen, or Trondheim.
To learn how to obtain and use bygdebøker take a look at these web pages:

Norwegian farms - some background information is another article
I have written about such topics as landskyld, matrikkel, jorddrotte, leilending,
husmann, and strandsitter. It provides useful background information on some of the
words that you will see in a bygdebok.

Books We Own is a list of volunteers who are willing to look up information
for you in the books (including bygdebøker) that they own. Before using this service, please
read BWO's Tips for submitting requests.

Norway Listers Lookups is from the Norway List web site and shows a list of
volunteers who are willing to look up information for you in the books (including bygdebøker)
that they own.

The remainder of this page consists of three sections:

1. Links to bygdebok web sites. A handful of bygdebøker are
available on the Internet, and there are a few web sites that have information
about a specific bygdebok, for example, where to buy a copy of a bygdebok;
2. Lists of bygdebøker by county; and
3. Links to online bookstores in Norway where you can buy a bygdebok.

1. Bygdebok web sites

Hedmark:Sør-Odal:
Sør-Odal bygdebok - gardshistorie is a short web page with the table of contents for the
8 volume bygdebok for this kommune. (The link is to the library's home page. Click on
the link to Sør-Odal bygdebok).

Buskerud:Hole:bygdebok for Hole - by Gudmund
Bakke. (Information about the book - in Norwegian only).Nes:Nes boka
- bygdebok for Nes in Hallingdal - by Terje &Oslashstro. (Information about the
book in English).Ål:Gard, ætt og folk.
bygdebok for Ål - by Thor Warberg. (The entire bygdebok will be placed on his web site when
he finishes updating it).

Vestfold:Nøtterø:Nøtterø bygdebok
- the complete bygdebok for Nøtterø by Lorens Bergs is online.Stokke:Stokke bygdebok -
the complete bygdebok for Stokke by Lorens Bergs is online.

TelemarkHjartdal:&nbspHjartdalsoga -
by Gjertrud Kleveland Karlsrud. (Information about the book - in Norwegian only).Kragerø:Levang gårds- og
slektshistorie by Per Stian Bjørnø Kjendal. (Information about the book - in
Norwegian only)Sannidal:Sannidal
bygdebok. Register name index to the Sannidal bygdebok by Knut Johannessen.
(Information in English at the bottom of the page).

Aust-AgderEide:Sagaen om en
Sørlandsbygd - information in English about Eide parish and how to purchase the bygdebok for this
parish

Sogn og Fjordane:Flora (Batalden):Batalden by Torbjørn
Hillersøy and Trond Strømgren. (Information about the bygdebook in Norwegian only)Luster:Gards- og Ættesoge for
Luster Kommune (Information about the bygdebook in Norwegian only)

Møre og Romsdal:Volda:Holmgang med havet 1838 - 1914.
Volda-soga 1800-1945 - by Jostein Nerbøvik. (Information about this general history
bygdebook in Norwegian only). See next entry for the Volda bygdebok with farm histories
and genealogy information.Volda:Bygdebok for Volda
. By Arnfinn Kjelland, Olav Myklebust, and Gunnar Andenes. (Information about the bygdebook in
Norwegian only)Sula:Bygdebok for Sula
. The editor is Arnfinn Kjelland, and co-author is Jens Johan Hyvik. (Information about the bygdebook in
Norwegian only)

Hordaland bygdebooks
from the web site of DIS-Hordaland, is a list of the bygdebooks that cover various areas in
Hordaland. It is in Norwegian, but it is easy to use - there are two ways to search for a
bygdebook:
1) You can search alphabetical by name of farm (Note: Farms beginning
with AA are listed under A). This search feature is listed as "Vis gårder i alle bygdebøkene
alfabetisk";
2) You can search by area for the appropriate bygdebook. This search
feature is listed as "Vis område du vil se bygdebøker for".

Deichmanske Library, Oslo - library in Norway with a large collection of bygdebooks.
(Search for keyword: bygdebok and the community you are researching)

3. Online bookstores in Norway where you can buy a bygdebok

If you wish to purchase your own copy of a bygdebok, you should keep in mind that most of the
bygdebooks are now out-of-print. The used bookstores listed below will be able to tell you
if the bygdebok you want is in print or if a used copy is available for sale. Your can also
try posting a message to the
Norway-L@rootsweb mailing
list. Unfortunately I have no further information beyond this about the availability of any
particular bygdebok.

Antiquarian Books in
Scandinavia - www.antikvariat.net - Search the databases of 74 Scandinavian antiquarian
booksellers who are members of ILAB (International League of Antiquarian Booksellers). Over
535.000 titles! Many thanks to Ketil Firing Hanssen in Norway for the tip to this link!